Eren was born and raised in Shiganshina District, which is located on the southern edge of Wall Maria. He lived there until the year 845, when the Colossal and Armored Titans breached the Wall, allowing a flood of Titans to invade and destroy the city. During the incident, Eren witnessed his mother being murdered and eaten by a smiling Titan. This event aroused in Eren an intense hatred towards the Titans, and he swore to wipe all of them off the face of the earth.

Two years later, Eren along with his adoptive sister Mikasa Ackermann and his best friend Armin Arlelt joined the 104th Cadet Corps. The three successfully graduated, with Eren ranking as the 5th best cadet, and they joined the Scout Regiment following the struggle for Trost.

Contents

Appearance

Human form

Eren's anime appearance

Eren is a young man of average height and build. He has a fairly long, yet rounded face, and sizable, expressive, teal-green eyes. His eyebrows are sparse and often furrowed, making him seem troubled or annoyed. His hair is short and dark brown, with his bangs falling naturally into a middle-parted, curtain-type style. His complexion also seems somewhat tan.

He is first seen wearing regular townsfolk attire, which consisted of brown trousers, a green shirt with string tassels at the collar, a maroon coat, and simple brown shoes. A few years before the fall of Wall Maria, he also wore a red scarf, which he gave to Mikasa the day they met. As a teenager, he is often seen in the typical Scout Regiment uniform when training. His casual attire consists of a long beige shirt (identical to that which he wore on his first appearance) that is worn with a maroon sash about his waist, brown trousers, and brown shoes. He always keeps the key that was given to him by his father around his neck on a string.[19]

As a Titan, Eren's appearance changes quite drastically. Along with a massive increase in height (to 15 m), his hair grows long enough to graze his shoulders, with his tongue and ears becoming elongated. His facial features also undergo a transformation. Along with a prominent, hooked nose, his eyes are deeply sunken within their sockets, and his mouth takes on an unusual, jagged shape that is unsuited for intelligible speech, though he is capable of howling and roaring when expressing his exhaustion and anger. He also lacks lips and flesh on his cheeks, exposing all his teeth.

Similar to other intelligent Titans, Eren's Titan form is well-proportioned and physically fit, sporting a well-defined, lean, muscular appearance in lieu of the more common pot-bellied or emaciated appearance of regular Titans.

In its burning state seen when it lifted the boulder in Trost and when it fought the Female Titan, the Titan was deep black, had burning marks all over his Titan, and had sharp teeth instead of straight teeth.

Eren's Pure Titan form was much shorter than his current Titan form. It was very small with short, rugged hair and a jagged, lipless mouth that exposed his teeth. The Pure Titan form also had a stocky build, a big head, and elongated ears.

Personality

Eren expresses his desire to kill the Titans

Eren is best described as hardheaded, strong-willed, passionate, and impulsive, which are attributes of his strong determination to protect mankind and eventually escape the Walls. As a young child, he was so intent on joining the Scout Regiment that he argued with and shouted at his mother, referring to the people in the village as "silly" and compared them to complacent livestock.[17]

As a child, Eren cared deeply for Armin, his best and only friend before he met his adoptive sister Mikasa, and most importantly his family, risking harm and even death in order to help them. This quality was most often demonstrated in the form of Eren taking on the larger boys who would bully Armin without hesitation; more tragically when he desperately attempted to lift the rubble crushing his mother during the Titans' assault in Shiganshina.[17] In contrast, Eren is also capable of displaying very violent behavior in the defense of people he does not even know. This is highlighted when he brutally slaughtered two of the human traffickers who captured Mikasa in order to rescue her, despite the fact that they were total strangers at the time.[20] Since witnessing his mother's gruesome demise and losing contact with his father, his fierce protectiveness to those he has left has only intensified.

Eren has a number of defining traits that date back to his childhood. He came to share Armin's awe of the lands beyond the Walls after the latter showed him a book depicting the wonders of the outside world, and decided to see it all for himself.[1] This led him to develop a scornful attitude to anyone content to live and die within the confines of the Walls without ever setting foot outside. This very contempt may have been the reason he did not easily make friends with his peers. He resented both the Walls that "caged" them in like cattle and the Titans that had driven humanity to erect them in the first place. As a result of this, he greatly admired the soldiers of the Scout Regiment, regarding them as "heroes," and wishing to join their ranks as soon as he became eligible for enrollment. He easily took offense when anyone spoke badly of the Scout Regiment, and his determination to join their ranks caused friction between himself and his mother, as well as to Mikasa.[17]

Eren had a marked lack of self-restraint that often led him into trouble, causing both his friends and family to worry about him. His limited self-control extended to his temper, and as a result, it was short at best and murderous at the very worst. When sufficiently provoked, his anger could drive him into a frenzy, accompanied by horrific levels of violence. Like many children, he tended to view the world in terms of black-and-white, having great compassion for humanity and its plight, but deeming those individuals who deny others their freedom as worthless scum unfit to be left alive. He also had the habit of thinking with his heart rather than his head, even in situations where his own life was in danger.[17]

These characteristic qualities have become more highly pronounced since his mother's death. He now focuses his destructive rage on the Titans, holding a virulent hatred for them, with the goal to one day rid the world of Titans.[19] Fueled by vengeance, he vowed to personally wipe every single one of them out and restore mankind to its rightful place. Though he feels great remorse for quarreling with his mother till the very end, he still continues to go against her wishes by seeking entry to the Scout Regiment. So strong is his desire to exterminate the Titans, he was plunged into despair when it seemed he could not even master the basics of the omni-directional mobility gear during training when his failure was in fact due to faulty equipment.[21] He is unafraid to voice his intentions of leaving the Walls to eliminate the Titans and is so consumed by his hatred that he seems not to fear them at all, earning him the nickname "suicidal bastard" from the other cadets.[22]

Eren talks some sense into Jean

He possesses great amounts of selflessness, perseverance, fortitude, and a vigorous determination; managing to graduate fifth in his class despite his lack of natural talent.[23] He greatly appreciates and/or admires his comrades, and will swiftly fly into a rage if one of them is injured or killed in front of him. He prizes human life, but his personal sense of justice dictates that anyone who steals away the freedom and dreams of others deserves to die. Though his ordeals since the struggle for Trost have taught him restraint, Eren still tends to behave quite rashly and speaks his mind even when he knows he should not.[24] This has put him in grave danger on numerous occasions, and he often finds himself having to be rescued.

Eren, however, tends to lose confidence in himself when confronted with how he could do little to nothing in situations. This includes when Eren put his trust in the Special Operations Squad when he could have fought the Female Titan himself, resulting in the deaths of all of his squadmates save Levi.[25]

Whilst assuming his Titan form, Eren seems to become more savage, bloodthirsty, and all-around uncontrollable. Though he is able to consciously control his Titan body after the struggle for Trost, he can very easily become caught up in the pleasure of slaughtering his enemies, indulging in thoughts so brutal he gives the impression of being insane.[25]

History

Year 844

Eren was born in Shiganshina District in the southern region of Wall Maria to Carla Jaeger and Grisha Jaeger. He had few friends, though his best friend was Armin Arlelt, who he often defended from the neighborhood bullies. Armin inspired his passion to leave the Walls and travel by showing him a hidden book about the outside world.[1] He dreamed of joining the Scout Regiment as soon as he reached the enlistment age, in order to see the outside world. Because of this dream, Eren and Armin were regarded as heretics and harassed.[17]

When Eren was nine years old, he saved Mikasa Ackermann from being sold into slavery by bandits. On a visit to the Ackermanns' home, he and his father discovered both parents murdered and their daughter missing. Fearing the worst, Dr. Jaeger instructed Eren to wait at the foot of the mountain while he got the Military Police Regiment to conduct a search. However, Eren, wanting to rescue the missing girl as soon as possible, managed to track the bandits' trail to a small cabin in the forest behind the house.

Eren saved Mikasa from the bandits

Opening the door to the room where Mikasa was being held captive, he found her laying on the floor with two of the bandits keeping watch. Feigning distress and saying that he was lost, Eren got them to drop their guard.

As one of them closed in to pat his head, Eren slit his throat with a knife he had hidden behind his back and quickly ducked back out of the room. As the second man went after him with an axe Eren charged at him with a makeshift spear, piercing him in the shoulder. Once he was down, Eren proceeded to stab him to death in a wild frenzy while Mikasa looked on in horror.

As Eren untied her in the aftermath, he was caught off-guard by the third bandit, who proceeded to strangle him. Mikasa picked up the knife Eren used but balked at the thought of using it to kill someone. Eren urged her to fight back, warning her that they would both be killed if she did nothing. As Eren began to lose consciousness, Mikasa finally lost all inhibition and lunged at their attacker, stabbing him through the heart and killing him instantly.

Eren gave Mikasa his scarf

When Dr. Jaeger eventually returned with the police in tow, he took Eren aside scolded him angrily for his reckless behavior. While Eren was genuinely sorry for upsetting his father, he expressed no remorse whatsoever for killing the bandits. When Mikasa remarked that she was cold, Eren gave her the scarf from his own neck; and when Dr. Jaeger invited Mikasa to live with their family from then on, Eren accepted her with no hesitation, tugging on her sleeve and shyly insisting that they return home.[20]

Story

In the year 845, Eren lives with his adoptive sister Mikasa, his mother Carla, and his father Grisha in Shiganshina District. After waking up from a nightmare interrupted by Mikasa they stroll through the city and Eren expresses anger in being kept like cattle within the Walls, and reveals his intentions in joining the Scout Regiment. Mikasa scolds him, not taking his words seriously, and later reveals what he said to their parents. Eren berates Mikasa for revealing this, but Carla is frightened, shocked and angered, expressing that the Scout Regiment has a high body count and that she will not let him join. She asks him why he wants to and he says that he wants to visit the outside world one day and is tired of living within the Walls like cattle. She begs her husband Grisha to talk some sense into his son, but Grisha says that nothing can hold back a human's curiosity. Grisha says that he will be leaving for a few days on a trip and that when he comes back, he will show Eren what he has hidden in the basement of their home. Enthralled, Eren joins his mother and Mikasa in waving him off. Carla reminds him that she will not allow him to join the Scout Regiment, and they exchange a heated but short-lived argument before he bolts off. Carla turns to Mikasa and begs her to look after him.

Eren, Armin and Mikasa look up in horror at the sight of the Colossal Titan

Eren, attempting to scare off bullies harassing their neighborhood friend Armin Arlelt, initially believes he is the one who scared them away when in fact it was Mikasa. He offers Armin a hand but Armin rejects, expressing discontent with his abilities to protect himself and admits he is weak. The three stroll through Shiganshina and settle by the riverbank, where Eren reveals his intentions in joining the Scout Regiment to Armin. Armin then contemplates who really believes staying in the Walls will protect them forever, and that they could be breached at any time.

Suddenly lightning strikes and the ground shakes. The civilians gather around the center of town and look up to the sight of a giant hand grasping the top of the Wall. Eren catches up with Armin and Mikasa and they all gawk in horror at the sight. The Colossal Titan kicks a hole through Wall Maria's gate, sending massive pieces of debris throughout the town.

Eren watches in horror as his mother is eaten by a Titan

Eren and Mikasa then hurry through the panic-stricken town to find their own home. Eren repeats to himself that his home will be there like it always has been, but when they turn the corner, they find his house crushed by a large rock and his mother trapped beneath the rubble. She says that the rubble crushed her legs and she can not move, but Eren insists that he will carry her to safety. She yells at him to run and save himself and Mikasa, saying he never listens to her. Just then, a Titan approaches the leveled house, targeting Carla. The Garrison member, Hannes, arrives right in time, and Carla begs that he takes the kids and run. Wanting to repay Dr. Jaeger for all he has helped the village with, Hannes rushes in to kill the Titan and save Carla, but quickly changes his mind upon seeing the massive height and frightening appearance of the Titan. He takes Eren and Mikasa away, leaving a grateful Carla behind. As Hannes carries the two on his shoulders and retreats, Carla begs for her children to survive and silently cries for their return. Eren witnesses as the Titan lifts Carla up, breaks her back, and eats her alive, with a loud crunch.[17]

As the evacuation of Shiganshina is underway, Eren, Mikasa, and Hannes arrive in an alley and Eren starts attacking Hannes, crying and asking why he did not save her. Hannes says that the reason Eren could not save her was that even though he had the courage, he lacked the strength, and Hannes himself lacked the courage even though he had the strength.

Eren shortly after receiving his Titan powers from his father

Hannes leaves Eren and Mikasa on the boat leaving the Titan-infested city. There, Eren and Mikasa witness an Armored Titan destroy the back gate of Shiganshina. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa are forced to depart on the boat as Eren realizes that he can never return home, and vows to kill every Titan in existence.[19]

After the fall of Wall Maria, Grisha finds Eren and takes him into a nearby forest. Grisha instructs Eren to retake Wall Maria and gives him the key to the basement,[19] before giving him a Titan injection that turns him into a Pure Titan. Eren instinctively eats his father, granting him the Power of the Titans.[18]

After the fall of Wall Maria, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin briefly stay in a landfill working on a farm before reaching the proper age to enroll in the military.

After these two years, they begin their first day on the training grounds in the 104th Cadet Corps as commandant Keith Sadies grills the fresh recruits as part of their "Rite of Passage." Eren restores his vow to kill all Titans, and that next time around, they will be the ones who will be devoured.[19]

Eren tells the cadets his memories of Shiganshina

Before training, Eren draws a crowd of cadets at dinnertime and upon questioning, describes the appearance of the Colossal and Armored Titans. He becomes sick as he remembers his mother being eaten, at which point Marco suggests they no longer question Eren about things he would rather not bring back. However, Eren attributes this to eagerness to begin his training and kill all the Titans with the Scout Regiment. Jean Kirschtein interrupts Eren and mocks his decision. Eren does not admire Jean's desire to join the Military Police simply to live in the interior Walls and the two prepare to fight each other. The bell signaling the end of dinner rings breaking the tension and the two drop their disagreement with each other.

The next day, the cadets begin practicing with omni-directional mobility gear, with their first task to balance themselves on their belts. Unlike the other recruits, Eren utterly fails to keep himself upright and takes extra tutoring from Armin and Mikasa. He knocks himself out and at dinner, other cadets mock his performance especially after his pledge to kill all Titans.

Back at the dorm, Conny and Jean do not offer any suggestions and Eren visits Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover for help. Although they are reluctant at first, the group exchange their stories of how they first encountered the Titans. The three exchange tips and later, depart as friends.

Eren finally balances with the omni-directional mobility gear

Later, Eren is back at the practice rigging as Sadies lets him try to balance himself on ODM gear one last time before he will be shipped to the landfills. At first, it appears Eren can maintain his balance and his peers begin cheering, but just as quickly, Eren flips upside down. Sadies has him put back on the ground and after a few moments of contemplation has Eren switch equipment with Thomas Wagner. Eren easily keeps his balance and Sadies reveals his equipment was defective, impressing everyone with his feat of keeping his balance, even for a while, with the broken equipment. Sadies mentally notes to Eren's father, Grisha Jaeger, that his son is finally becoming a soldier.[21]

In 850, the 104th Cadet Corps is undergoing a fitness assessment supervised by Commandant Sadies. The commandant notes that Eren's grades have improved with his unparalleled effort and that he possesses twice the sense of purpose than anyone else. Later, the cadets are practicing hand-to-hand combat as Eren disarms Reiner. As they switch roles, Eren remarks on the uselessness of learning anti-human combat as well as attacking an armed foe bare-handed, remembering the day he killed the bandits in.

Reiner spots Annie Leonhart avoiding practice and to show her up, has her try to disarm Eren. When Eren lunges at her, she swiftly kicks his foot out from under him and drops him on his head with a few moves. Eren praises her technique, but Annie believes this training is pointless as it is not a factor in their rankings. She points out the hypocrisy of having the top 10 graduates, the most effective Titan fighters, be the only ones eligible to join the Military Police and live in the safest human territory.

Eren uses Annie's combat technique on Jean

Later that night as the cadets are eating dinner, Eren hears Jean's discussion with Marco on the efficient use of gas in the omni-directional gear and how such an advanced technique would allow him to be ranked higher and join the Military Police. Eren insults Jean's shallow reasoning in wanting to join the Military Police and the two almost come to blows once more. Jean grabs Eren and tries to punch him, and Eren gets ready to retaliate, he notices both Reiner and Annie closely watching the situation; using Annie's disarmament technique, Eren quickly ends the fight to resolve the situation. When Jean insults him, Eren tells Jean he learned that combat technique while Jean was not taking training seriously and wonders how could he call himself a soldier if a carefree life is his idea of the real world.

Eren faces the Colossal Titan

The graduation of the cadets draws closer until finally, Eren graduates in the top 10 of the 104th Cadet Corps, along with Mikasa, Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Jean, Conny, Sasha, Marco, and Christa. After graduation, he is assigned to clean the cannons atop Wall Rose with Sasha, Conny, and a few others. There they witness the return of the Colossal Titan, who has not been seen in the last five years.[23]

In the year 848, Eren and his fellow cadets embark on a navigation training exercise to learn how to sustain themselves in times of peace, during which he and Jean continually get at each other's throats.

During the night, the group is ambushed while they sleep. Held at gunpoint, they are unable to do anything as the thieves carry off their ODM gear and Christa Lenz. Marco Bodt suggests abandoning the mission and getting help from Sadies, but Eren convinces the group to help him chase down the thieves before they can get away. Sasha suggests using a higher vantage point to look for the bandits, and the group is able to successfully locate where the thieves are camping for the night.

The group devises a plan to confront the bandits. After Conny and Sasha successfully block off the bandits' route out of the forest, Marco is able to determine which of their carriages they are carrying the cadets' stolen goods in, and alerts Eren and Jean so that they can attack. When Eren and Jean are able to recover the cadets' ODM gear, but not Christa, they use their gear to continue their pursuit. The group confronts the bandits again, but are left unable to fight when the men begin threatening Christa's life. Helpless, they are forced to hand over their gear again, only to be saved by the timely arrival of Thomas' group, who successfully ambush and capture the attackers.

Following the incident, Marco has a conversation with Eren, stating his belief that Jean would have made a much better choice to lead the mission, to which Eren vehemently disagrees.[26]

In the year 849, Eren and Mikasa confusedly watch a brewing fight between Sasha and Jean. Afterward, he attempts to unload a crate from a wagon but was unable to due to its weight. Meanwhile, he looks over at Mikasa, who is carrying three without any trouble. She offers to help him with his, but he angrily refuses. Later in the dining hall, Eren advises Jean to be nicer to his mother.[27]

When the newly graduated recruits of the 104th are assigned to clean the cannons on top of Wall Rose, the Colossal Titan appears for the first time in five years. Driven by his desire for vengeance, Eren faces the Titan alone in combat as his fellow cadets, paralyzed with fear, can only look on. Despite getting close enough to the Titan to nearly slice the nape of its neck, it vanishes into thin air after kicking down Trost's outer gate and dismantling the cannons atop the Wall. The Garrison is forced to implement the Colossal Titan contingency plan, placing Eren and his squad as part of the middle guard in the defense of Trost.

In response to the crisis, the new recruits were split into squads in charge of defending different parts of the city. Eren is grouped with Armin. Enraged upon seeing Thomas devoured by a Titan, Eren leaps into battle after the Titan, only to have his leg bitten off below the knee, incapacitating him. The rest of his group join the fight, but are also killed by Titans. Just as Armin is about to get eaten, Eren pulls his friend out of a Titan's mouth, switching places with him. Eren is swallowed, his left arm being severed as the Titan bites down on him.

An injured Eren stands up to save Armin

In the stomach of the Titan, Eren came across the dead or dying soldiers who were devoured by the Titan, one calling out for her mother before sinking inside stomach acid. Upon this, he remembers his goal to kill every last Titan alive. He thrusts his severed limb up in frustration, getting more and more desperate. Suddenly, a Titan's arm bursts from the Titan's throat and Eren steps out from its carcass, transformed into a Titan himself. He then proceeds to wreak havoc on all the Titans he could get his hands on. In the process, he unknowingly saves Mikasa’s life from another Titan and is baited by Armin, Conny, and Mikasa to help fend off a procession of Titans from a storage headquarters for the compressed gas used to power their ODM gear.

Eren appears out of the Titan

Eventually, Eren appears to run out of energy and begins to be overwhelmed by the Titans. Before Mikasa’s group could intervene, the Titan that killed Thomas appears, driving Eren to throw off the Titans holding him down and kill the Titan by biting its nape off. As soon as the massacre is over, Eren falls to the ground and his human form emerges from the back of his Titan form’s neck (with both lost limbs back) to the shock of all the onlookers. He is retrieved by an overwhelmed Mikasa.

When he regained consciousness, Eren seems to only have a faint dream-like memory of his time as a Titan and finds himself cornered by a hostile military force under the command of Kitz Woermann. After witnessing him emerging from a Titan, they had concluded that he was an enemy of humanity and intended to kill him, with only Mikasa and Armin standing on his side. They fire a cannon at the three of them and Eren instinctively grabs onto his two friends and bites his own hand, partially transforming into a Titan and blocking the cannonball with the Titan's hand.[28] In the moments while the cannon was being reloaded, Eren asks Armin to try and talk them out of the situation. This is met with limited success until Commander Dot Pyxis intervenes and orders Woermann to stand down.[29]

Eren attacks Mikasa

A plan is made for Eren to use his Titan form to move a huge boulder near the gate which they had placed to reseal Trost's gate in the event of a Titan incursion but had been unable to move with their limited resources in the aftermath of the Titan assault. Eren is assigned to a team, which included Mikasa, to defend him while he carries the boulder. Upon his transformation, however, he attacks Mikasa. Eren ends up wounding himself and his body fails to regenerate, and the mission is declared a failure. Despite this, Ian Dietrich, the leader of the group, decides they must stay and guard Eren.

Armin arrives on the scene and convinces Mikasa to go help fend off the Titans while he tries to get through to Eren by stabbing his human form through his Titan's nape. Eventually, he is able to do so, reminding Eren that they wanted to see the world together, which caused Eren to remember why he wanted to join the Scout Regiment, wipe out all the Titans, and claim the world as his birthright. Eren carries the boulder and with the sacrifice of most of the remaining team members (with the exception of Rico, Armin, and Mikasa), is able to plug the hole in the Wall. Before they could bring Eren to safety, however, Eren and his group were attacked from behind by two Titans. They were saved by the timely arrival of Captain Levi, who had arrived ahead of the returning Scout Regiment.

After the events of Trost, Eren is placed in the custody of the Military Police and kept chained in a dungeon prison cell in the Royal Capital beneath a courtroom. While he is there, he is paid a visit by Commander Erwin Smith and Captain Levi. Upon hearing his motive to kill Titans, Levi says he will accept him into the Scout Regiment. Eren is left there for some time before being escorted by Scout Regiment members to the courtroom where he was tried, with Premier Dhalis Zachary preceding over events.

During his trial, the Military Police and Order of the Walls called for his dissection and execution while the opposing side, the Scout Regiment, argued in favor of using his power to their advantage in scouting missions. After an outburst by Eren, Levi beats him senseless, accrediting his dominance over Eren’s threat and it is decided his fate will be decided after a “test” mission with the Scout Regiment. Afterward, Erwin thanks him for his cooperation.

After joining the Scout Regiment, Eren is assigned to Levi's Special Operations Squad and sent to an abandoned castle which had formerly served as the base of operations for the Scout Regiment. While there, he is tasked with cleaning duty by Levi while also helping Squad Leader Hange Zoë with her Titan experiments.[30]

Eren surrounded by Levi's squad after his accidental transformation

During one of the experiments with his Titan abilities, Eren was lowered into a well before being told to transform into a Titan, in case he lost control. However, no matter how hard he tried, Eren was unable to activate his Titan abilities. He was eventually brought back to the surface and tended to his self-inflicted wound on his hand with Levi's squad, who expressed their relief at his inability to turn into a Titan. However, whilst bending over to pick up a dropped spoon with his injured hand, Eren accidentally triggered his Titan ability in a partial transformation, creating a Titan hand in a small explosion.

Expressing fear and disbelief at the sudden usage of his Titan powers, Levi's squad surrounded Eren, demanding that he prove he was not a threat to them. The tense situation was defused with the help of Levi and Hange, and after learning that Eren's transformation was unintentional, bit their own hands as a way of apologizing for their overreaction. After this incident, with the help of Hange's deductions, Eren learned that a Titan transformation required him to have a clear goal in mind in addition to self-injury.[31]

Eren reunites with his friends from the 104th

While he was with Levi's squad, Eren met some of his classmates from the 104th Cadet Corps who had opted to join the Scout Regiment. which included Mikasa, Armin, Conny, Sasha, Reiner, Bertholdt, and to Eren's surprise, Jean. He learned of Marco's death from them and was later given a lecture by Jean about his responsibilities to humanity.[32]

After a month of training, Eren and the Scout Regiment embark on the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission. After leaving the safety of the Walls, the Scouts assume the Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation, an extensive formation created by Commander Erwin, which aims to maximum the visibility of the scouting group in order to detect and avoid fighting Titans whenever possible. Eren was positioned at the center of the formation, where it is the safest. However, as per Commander Erwin's orders, the knowledge of Eren's location within the formation was known only to a select few, with the fresh recruits being given false information in order to misdirect any spies within their midst.[22]

It soon became apparent to Eren that something was going wrong with the expedition. First, he received the news of the decimation of the right wing of the formation. Then, he noticed black flares, which signaled the presence of an Abnormal Titan in close proximity to his location, even though he was supposed to be in the safest position in the formation. Soon after, the Scouts head toward a Forest of Giant Trees. The central column of the scouting force, including Eren and Levi's squad, were told to enter the forest, while the rest of the soldiers were to stand guard at the perimeter of the forest to prevent any Titans from entering.

Eren contemplates turning into a Titan to face the Female Titan

Soon after entering the forest, Squad Levi was set upon by a seemingly intelligent Female Titan, who was able to dispatch pursuing soldiers with ease. Seeing the soldiers perish one by one, Eren is tempted to use his Titan power to fight the Female Titan and save his comrades. Levi allows this choice, but recalling Levi and his squad's trust in him when he accidentally used his Titan powers, Eren decides to trust in his team, sacrificing the last remaining member of the rear guard.[31]

This opened the way for the Female Titan to focus completely on Levi's squad, and she was inches from grabbing Eren before being ambushed and captured herself. Eren and the rest of his team excluding Levi ride out of the forest firm in the belief that the Titan was captured and her human self apprehended. This is proved false as the unidentifiable human form of the Female Titan kills Gunther before re-transforming into a Titan. The remaining three team members tell Eren to go on while they attack the Female Titan. Eren expressed his desire to stay and fight with them, but again, is convinced otherwise and begins to retreat. Although the three soldiers manage to blind the Female Titan and cripple her arms, they were caught off guard when the Female Titan regenerates an eye much faster than they had expected, resulting in their deaths. Upon seeing this, Eren, filled with regret, finally transforms into a Titan and engages the Female Titan.[25]

Eren attacks the Female Titan

Even though he initially had the upper hand against the crippled Female Titan, Eren, blinded with rage, quickly spent all of his energy and ultimately loses the fight. His human form was eaten by the Female Titan just as Mikasa arrived on the scene. She pursued the Female Titan, but was unsuccessful in rescuing Eren. It was only after she was joined by Levi that they were able to incapacitate the Female Titan and retrieve Eren, still alive, from its mouth. The Scout Regiment returned to Wall Rose in defeat, with the failure of the mission to capture the Female Titan and the loss of the lives of many soldiers. Due to the mission's failure, Eren was to be handed over to the Military in Wall Sina.[33]

Before Eren can be handed over to the Military, he is let in on a plan by Commander Erwin to capture the Female Titan, whom Armin deduced to be actually Annie Leonhart of the 104th, who has joined the Military Police Brigade after graduation. At this realization, Eren is initially shocked and angry at her accusation, refusing to believe that such a betrayal by one of his fellow cadets, whom he had trained with for 3 years, is possible. However, after Mikasa tells him to think back to when he was fighting against the Female Titan in the forest, he realized in astonishment that the fighting style the Female Titan exhibited was exactly the same as Annie's, forcing him to come to terms with Annie's betrayal, and he agreed to participate in the plan to capture her.[34]

Eren calls desperately for Annie to prove her innocence

After Armin convinced Annie to join them in escorting Eren out of the city, they led her to the entrance to an underground tunnel, where she refused to continue following them, despite Eren's continued pleas for her to join them and prove her innocence. When Annie's capture failed and she transformed, he, Mikasa, and Armin were forced into the underground tunnel to escape from her Titan. As per the plan, Eren tried to go into Titan form by injuring himself but could not because of shock and disbelief at Annie's betrayal, and his friendship with Annie making him unwilling to fight her. As the Scout Regiment tries in vain to capture the Female Titan, Eren is reminded of the lives Annie took as the Female Titan as well as his vow to exterminate the Titans, allowing him to finally overcome his inhibitions, transform into his Titan form, and engage the Female Titan for the second time.[34]

Eren fights Annie for the second time in Stohess District

Even though Eren is in better control of his Titan and is equipped with knowledge of his opponent this time round, he is ultimately no match for Annie's superior fighting technique and hardening ability. He manages to throw Annie into some buildings, but gets his right leg taken off by a hardened kick from Annie, who proceeds to slam him into a building and pummel his head repeatedly with her hardened fist.

Unexpectedly, Annie stops her assault on Eren and flees toward the wall, giving him the opportunity to drive himself into a rage, giving his Titan form renewed strength and energy and the appearance of his veins being on fire. He chased after the Female Titan and grabbed her by the face, but she was able to kick him aside and attempt to climb up the Wall with her hardened fingers. Undeterred, Eren grabs hold of one of her legs, but is kicked off by Annie, severing the leg in the process. Mikasa then slices the Female Titan's fingers off, causing her to fall back to the ground, where she is set upon by Eren. He tears her head off and bites her nape clean off of her body, exposing Annie's human form inside. This worries Hange and others, thinking that Eren will eat Annie. However, upon seeing Annie crying, Eren stops himself. This gives Annie a chance to use her hardening ability, encasing herself in a crystal, which causes her Titan body to start merging with Eren as well. At that moment, Levi appears, cutting Eren out of the Titan and scolding him for trying to eat an important witness.

Some time later, Eren wakes up in his bed, having recovered from his injuries. He is aware of Annie being frozen, with Jean confirming that they got nothing from the operation. Unexpectedly, Armin states that Eren is the one who let that happen. After a short hesitation, Eren confirms that upon seeing Annie, he could not move. After Armin and Jean leave, Eren confides to Mikasa about his feelings during the battle. Mikasa expresses herself to be happy that he returned alive.[35]

When Wall Rose is supposedly breached, Eren makes his way to Utgard Castle under squad leader Hange to save his comrades stranded there. Eren and the rest of the Scouts arrive just in time to save their comrades, excluding the members of squad Miche who had already died. When they arrive Eren kills a 7 meter Titan and celebrates his first kill as a Scout in human form, before tripping and being scolded for endangering himself. He then goes on to meet with his fellow recruits.[13]

Reiner tells Eren the truth

In the aftermath, Eren is among the soldiers on top of the Wall recovering from the ordeal at Utgard. Eren asks about Reiner's condition due to his injured arm and listens to him talk about the times he has nearly died. Bertholdt then reassures Reiner that they do not have much left to do and can return home soon. Hannes then arrives with news that the Wall has not been breached, prompting Hange to order them to move to Trost District. Reiner then asks to speak with Eren and reveals that five years ago, he and Bertholdt breached the Wall and are the true identities of the Armored and Colossal Titans, going on to say that their objective was to wipe out all the humans living in the Walls, but that if Eren comes with them to their hometown they will not attack the Wall again. Eren briefly remembers a discussion the previous night with Hange, who discussed Reiner and Bertholdt potentially being accomplices to Annie. Armin slowly puts together that Reiner attempted to usher Eren's potential location out of him during the 57th exterior scouting mission, and then cut the information into Annie's palm when she grabbed him. Hange warns the three to act carefully around Reiner and Bertholdt, and tells them not to mention anything to do with Annie or their suspicions.[36]

Eren transforms to fight Reiner

In the present, Eren tries to persuade Reiner to believe that he is tired and not thinking straight. Bertholdt plays along, and Eren says that even if the two are responsible for the mass murder of humankind, they could not expect him to go with them willingly. This surprises Reiner and he admits that he must have gone mad, but then claims that he has been surrounded by fools for too long. He then explains that he no longer knows what is right or wrong, but what he does know is that he must complete his mission. Reiner removes the bandage on his arm and reveals the rapidly healing wound, discharging steam. He moves in to take Eren by at that moment, Mikasa attacks them, chopping off Reiner's hand and through his arm while nearly decapitating Bertholdt. Reiner tackles Mikasa and prevents her from killing Bertholdt and then arises beside his friend, bloodied, and the two transform. This throws the soldiers back, with Reiner grabbing Eren and Bertholdt taking the injured Ymir. Eren reminisces about the times they spent together, then bites his hand to transform and fight.[36]

After Eren gains the upper hand on Reiner, Reiner begins pushing himself and Eren along the Wall before Mikasa swings in and slices through Reiner's now vulnerable legs, weakening him. He suddenly opens his mouth and roars. When no Titans come, Armin wonders what the roar was for and looks up at the Colossal Titan.[37]

Atop the wall, Conny and the others also contemplate Reiner's roar. As Conny looks at the Colossal Titan whose hands and face have withered to bone, he begins to shout. The Colossal Titan's ribs break and it falls over the wall, head first straight into Eren and Reiner.[37] The impact is so immense that some soldiers are flung over the Wall. Armin attempts looks for Eren in the dust of the impact before suddenly spotting the Armored Titan running away with Bertholdt and an unconscious Eren.[38]

Eren wakes up captured and missing his arms

Later the same day, Eren wakes up again to find he is missing both his arms.[38] He then sees Reiner and Bertholdt back in human form as well as Ymir who has lost her leg and arm. After questioning Reiner and Bertholdt as well as Ymir, Eren begins to shout at them calling them 'murderers' and says that he will find the most painful and horrid way for them to die. In the distance, however, Reiner and Bertholdt spot the distinct green and red flares of the Scout Regiment approaching them.[39]

After contemplating when they are going to leave, Eren questions Ymir about who the real enemy to which she replies "Who knows?"[39] Reiner then states that they must immediately leave and warns Eren not to resist. Eren, telling Reiner that there is no way he can resist, stands back and runs at Reiner, pushing him over and repeatedly hitting him in the face with one of his stumps. While Bertholdt and Ymir talk, Eren is overpowered by Reiner and is eventually knocked out.[40]

Eren is taken away

After Ymir transforms into a Titan and retrieves Historia, she escapes and jumps onto Reiner who has now transformed into his own Titan form. The two run away along with Bertholdt and an unconscious Eren strapped to him.[40]

After Erwin notices the Armored Titan running away, he orders the soldiers to pursue him, and let any Titans follow them. The Armored Titan uses his hands to protect Bertholdt and stop Eren from being retrieved by Mikasa. After Conny, Jean and Sasha try persuading Bertholdt to give up, Hannes warns them of a large group of Titans advancing straight towards them, being led by Erwin and a large force of soldiers.[41]

The Armored Titan is quickly overwhelmed by them and Eren shortly wakes up. He begins pushing Bertholdt against Reiner's hand in a futile attempt to escape. In an attempt to free himself, the Armored Titan removes his hands, exposing both Eren and Bertholdt so he can punch his way out of the pile of Titans. This gives Mikasa the opportunity to attack Bertholdt and try to free Eren. As she rushes forward, Bertholdt dodges and Eren tries to warn Mikasa of a Titan behind her. It squeezes her hard enough to crush her ribs, but Jean frees her before she can be eaten.[41]

Armin lands on the Armored Titan and tells Bertholdt and Reiner that Annie is being tortured and the two of them are about to leave her behind. This is enough to distract Bertholdt so that he is unprepared for Erwin's approach.[41]

Erwin frees Eren

Erwin grapples up with one arm and slashes at Bertholdt's chest, freeing Eren. Mikasa then grabs him before landing on their horses. As they flee, a large Titan is sent flying and creates a large explosion of dust. This causes some soldiers to fall off their horses including Eren and Mikasa. In the fog, they see the barely visible body of a very tall Titan slowing advancing toward them. Eren widens his eyes as he recognizes this is the exact same Titan that ate his mother.[41]

Hannes steps forward to protect Eren and Mikasa. While he distracts the Titan, Eren shouts for Mikasa to free him, believing that he is the only one who can stop this now. But when he tries to transform into a Titan, nothing happens because he is still recovering from his injuries.[16]

Eren uses the Founding Titan's power

He is devastated when Hannes gets eaten, finding himself just as powerless now as he had been when his mother died. Mikasa reassures him about the value of his life and how much he has meant to her. This fills Eren with rage and sadness. He stands up and punches the Smiling Titan in the hand as it reaches for him. Eren screams and another Titan attacks the Smiling Titan. Elsewhere around them, the Titans that were fighting the Scouts turn and start running to the Smiling Titan, surrounding and devouring it.[16]

Eren vows to make up for all the lost lives

Eren takes advantage of the situation and flees, carrying Mikasa on his back. When Reiner and Bertholdt pursue him, he screams again, and the Titans turn to attack them. Eren escapes with the rest of the surviving soldiers and they return to Trost District, where he learns that the Scout Regiment lost more than half its veteran soldiers in rescuing him. No casualties were incurred on the way back, and Armin and Jean theorize that it is because Eren was somehow able to control them. Eren resolves to learn how to control the Titans, seal Wall Maria, and make Reiner pay as a way to atone for all the lives lost.[16]

Some time afterward, Eren and Historia are sent away with the new Squad Levi to be safeguarded in an isolated cabin in the forest. Eren frantically attempts to clean their hideout before Levi's arrival, scolding Jean for the lackluster cleaning on his part. When Levi arrives, he is dissatisfied with their cleaning, much to Eren's dismay. Holding off on that discussion for later, Levi takes his squad out to assist in Hange's experiments on Eren's Titan abilities.[42]

Eren is unable to fully form his Titan

Eren participates in Hange's experiments without much success. He fails to show any signs of hardening, and upon a later transformation collapses in a smaller, malformed Titan body. Hange and Mikasa remove Eren from his Titan, and notice his disfigured face from where he had began fusing to the body.[42]

After spending a whole day resting, Eren comes into the kitchen of the cabin and expresses disappointment that the plan to repair the Wall has been shelved because of him. Soon after, Historia tells him that it must be nice to have a goal in mind, even if it is difficult to achieve, where as she has no idea what she wants now that Ymir is gone. Eren is glad that Historia has started speaking again, but she apologizes that the good-girl Christa that everyone knew is gone. Eren admits that he never liked her previous self, finding it forced and unnatural. He prefers her now that she is a normal, honest girl. As he also remembers Ymir, a memory of her talking to Bertholdt comes back to him.[42]

After hearing of Pastor Nick's murder, Levi reads a message from Erwin and orders everybody out of the cabin. Outside, Levi reveals that the government is freezing all Scout Regiment activity outside the Walls and demanding custody of Eren and Historia. Before heading for Trost, Eren hands Hange a message detailing the conversation he had had remembered between Ymir and Bertholdt.[42]

Eren is shot with a tranquilizing dart

Eren rides alongside Historia in an enclosed wagon driven by Keiji, while Levi runs a decoy strategy with Jean and Armin posing as the two.[42] The wagon is attacked by members of the Military Police, who manage to tear the roof from the wagon using their mobility gear. Eren picks up a musket to fire on the attackers, but is tranquilized alongside Historia. Despite an effort from Levi Squad to recover them, the two are ultimately kidnapped successfully.

Inside a house at nightfall, Rod Reiss reunites with his daughter, Historia, while a half-conscious Eren watches from the side.[43] Later in the night, Eren is transported in a horse drawn carriage to be taken into Reiss family territory.[44]

Eren wakes up inside the Underground Chapel

Eren awakes in a large crystalline chapel, shortly after having a vision of a dark-haired girl brushing her hair in a mirror. Suddenly rousing, Eren realizes he is gagged and restrained by chains atop a raised platform. As he struggles to break free, he spots Historia approaching below him in a pure white dress.[45] He is glad to see she is safe and Historia assures him that her father has been misunderstood. Despite his actions, he had to take them for the benefit of humanity. Eren feels that he has been here before and Rod says that it would not be surprising if he remembered it even if this is his first time here.

Rod suggests that he and Historia lay their hands on Eren's back because it might help him remember. When they do, it triggers memories of things that happened before in this same underground chamber. He sees Rod and his family, another Titan, a member of the Scout Regiment, his father's key, and then himself about to be injected with a syringe. Eren realizes that he is seeing his father Grisha's memories, and Rod asks him if he now remembers his father's sin. Eren is left stunned by the revelation he had eaten his father, and at a loss as Rod explains how Grisha had massacred the Reiss family.[18]

Once the three of them are alone, Rod opens a satchel and reveals a syringe, which Eren recognizes as the same kind his father had used on him. Rod tells Historia that her sister's memories live on and she can still meet her. Understanding what is about to happen, Eren begins panicking and struggling against his restraints. Rod explains to the two of them that the three Walls were created by a special Titan who altered humanity's memories to give them a life of peace. Frieda inherited this Titan and with its power they would not be in their current situation with so many lives being lost and humans fighting other humans, as she would have gotten rid of the Titans with her inherited power. But this power can only be used to its full potential by Reiss descendants, Eren possessing the power has kept this from being able to occur.

Kenny, overhearing Rod's words as he returns, is distraught to learn he will not be able to use Frieda's power if he devours Eren, and in his anger begins undoing Eren's restraints. Intending to force Eren and Historia to battle each other over possession of Frieda's power, Kenny cuts open Eren's forehead so that he will be able to transform, before retreating to a safe distance.

Eren asks Historia to eat him

Rod pressures Historia to inject herself and eat Eren, but she is given pause when she realizes that Eren is not trying to transform. Heartbroken to learn that Frieda could have put an end to the Titans and prevented so many of the deaths that had occurred since the fall of Wall Maria, Eren begs Historia to eat him so that she can use the power that his father stole to save humanity.

Moved by Eren's words, Historia incapacitates her father and begins freeing Eren from the restraints that still hold him, to Eren's shock and despair.[46]

Rod licks the smashed contents of the syringe, transforming into a Titan himself and Eren tells Historia she can let him go and he will be eaten by Rod instead. Historia refuses, because even if she is an enemy to humanity, she is still Eren's friend.

She is blown back by the winds created from Rod's transformation, but Levi and his squad arrive in time to save her and get the keys to Eren's chains. Conny, Jean, and Levi work together to free Eren and manage to do so before a chunk of the ceiling smashes into the outcropping where Eren was moments ago. The ceiling is caving in due to the sheer size of Rod's Titan and the squad's escape is blocked. Eren realizes that everyone with him is going to die.

Eren breaks the bottle between his teeth

He apologizes for his uselessness as the squad debates whether it is worth the risk of being burned by the Titan's heat in order to escape the collapsing ceiling. Levi tells Eren that he is going to have to make a choice, recalling the time they had been pursued by the Female Titan. Eren decides, and grabs a bottle labeled "Armor" that had fallen out of Rod's satchel. He wants to believe in himself and puts the jar between his teeth, biting it down. After transforming into a Titan, Eren is able to harden it and reinforce the structural integrity of the cavern around it.

The squad climbs out of the ruined cavern and regroups to chase after Rod Reiss, who has become an Abnormal Titan twice the size of the Colossal Titan. Hange discusses the limitations of the Reiss family's Founding Titan with Eren and Historia and how even if a descendant of the family receives it, they are controlled by the will of the First King. Eren still considers being eaten by Rod to save humanity, but Historia is against it. The Reiss family had already tried undoing the brainwashing and once Rod has the Founding Titan's power, he can alter everyone's memories so they have no interest in restraining him.

Eren listens to Historia's alternative option

Historia says these circumstances, now that the Founding Titan has been taken away, might be humanity's one hope and she tells Eren that this is why his father killed the Reiss family. It was the only option he had to save humanity. This causes Eren to remember his father's words from right before he injected him. His father asked him to learn to control this power to save Mikasa, Armin, and everyone else. They meet up with Erwin and his forces, and the Scouts all proceed to Orvud District to intercept Rod's Titan.[47] While en route, Eren screams at Rod and punches the air in a vain attempt to activate the Founding Titan and control the giant Titan the same way he had controlled the other Pure Titans.[48]

Eren helps the scouts stack barrels of gunpowder together on a net of rope. He watches Historia stand up to Erwin and admires how strong she has become compared to him. Feeling melancholy that humanity has to depend on someone like him, he spots children in Orvud who remind him of himself as a child and thinks back to when the Colossal Titan first appeared. Armin tells him that it will be different from before, because this time the soldiers on the Wall can fight back. Eren punches himself, to try beating out his feelings of uselessness.

When Rod's Titan arrives and pulls itself up to the Wall, Eren transforms into his Titan form. He takes the net stuffed with barrels and shoves it into the open mouth of the Titan, which is hot enough to make the gunpowder ignite. This causes the Titan's head and neck to explode and enables the scouts to attack the flying chunks of meat in hope of destroying the nape.[48]

After Historia is crowned as the new queen, Eren and Squad Levi accompany her as she goes to find Levi so she can punch him. Eren, terrified for his comrade, tries to talk her down, and begs Mikasa to tell Historia that she was only joking when she suggested hitting Levi. Historia refuses to back down and punches Levi, but Eren and his comrades are all surprised when Levi reacts by smiling and thanking them.[14]

Eren helps Historia carry some boxes

Two months after Historia becomes queen, Eren and the other members of the 104th volunteer at an orphanage that she has started. He is impressed by how much she has thought things through to aid the people she wants to help most. She catches Eren, Jean, and Armin slacking by the fence and goads them into carrying their share of boxes. Jean and Armin go on ahead and she talks to Eren about the progress with his hardening experiments.

Eren says they are going well, but they need to hurry before Reiner and Bertholdt come back. She asks what he would do if they meet up again, and Eren says he will have to kill them, not because he wants to, but because he has to. He tells Historia that she is amazing for having done all this despite her words about dooming humanity, which causes Mikasa to abruptly interrupt the conversation and take Eren's load away from him.

Thanks to Eren's hardening experiments, a Titan guillotine is developed, giving soldiers a reusable weapon to safely kill Titans without risking their lives. However, creating the materials for one puts a strain on Eren's body.

As Eren and his friends eat dinner in the mess hall, Conny leaves to go check on his village to see if he can learn anything new. This causes Eren to remember the events of the past few months, particularly those concerning Ymir and how she said her life was like a nightmare when she was a Titan outside of the Walls. He wonders if Titans are just humans tormented by nightmares and how there must have been a time when he was like that too, but all he remembers is what his father saw when Eren ate him.

Jean complains about Eren's mumbling

Jean tells Eren what he really should focus on remembering is the identity of that Scout Regiment soldier from his father's memories. Eren agrees that man has to know something and after Jean jokes that what he needs is a headbutt from their commandant, Eren realizes that the man his father had seen was Commandant Keith Sadies.

The next morning Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Levi, Hange, and Sasha visit Keith. Keith invites them inside to speak, pointing out that Eren resembles his parents. Eren then asks him to tell them all that he knows. Keith starts telling what he knows, how he met Grisha and everything he knows about him. Keith finally confesses that he is nothing more than a bystander and that he has no power to change things.[8]

Time goes by, and the operation to retake Wall Maria is ready. The day before the operation, the soldiers have a great dinner in order to ready them for the operation. However, the food turns Sasha into a mindless state, and she has to be retrained by Eren and Conny. Her lash out causes the two to reminisce about how things have changed in three months since the battle of Trost. The night continues and Jean starts a fight against Eren by insulting him. While they brawl, they wonder why nobody is stopping them, when suddenly Levi comes and knocks them.

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin see a soldier that reminds them of Hannes

After the fight, Eren, Armin and Mikasa have a conversation about their future. They talk about how strong and weak people need to combine their abilities in order to succeed. After mistaking a Garrison soldier for Hannes, Mikasa wonders if they will be able to go back to easier times when they retake Wall Maria. Eren answers that if may not be possible, but that is the reason why they must make them pay. Armin also adds that there is more beyond the Walls and that it can be discovered thanks to being part of the Scout Regiment. Finally, he vows to see the ocean, without noticing that Levi is overhearing their conversation.

The next morning, the soldiers are ready to depart on their mission. They become very surprised when they see that the civilians are cheering them. Finally, Erwin orders the start of the operation and Eren travels towards Shiganshina along with Squad Levi.[49]

While traveling on foot under the cover of night, Eren apologizes to Mikasa, who is escorting his horse in addition to her own, but she insists that he save his energy so that he can seal Wall Maria. After running into an inactive Titan, Eren is surprised to find himself shaking in anticipation. Although he insists, when asked, that he is just shaking from the cold, Armin assures him that it is normal to feel scared of the Titans and reminds Eren of when he was nearly eaten during the Battle for Trost. Eren reveals that he sacrificed himself to save Armin that day because he had remembered the first time Armin told him about the outside world, which had caused him to realize just how much the Titans had taken from the humans.

Eren prepares to plug the breach

Arriving in Shiganshina, the scouts quickly scale Wall Maria with their ODM gear. Eren is left momentarily stunned at the sight of his home town, but quickly begins heading toward the breach in the Wall at Levi's urging. Sailing over Wall Maria, Eren prepares to turn into his Titan form. Transforming into his Titan form, Eren quickly uses his hardening abilities to seal the hole in Wall Maria before being retrieved by Mikasa, who carries him back to the top of the Wall. As he takes Mikasa's cloak to replace his burned one, Eren informs Hange that he still has the strength to carry on, and assures Levi that he understands that the scouts still have to kill Bertholdt and Reiner before their mission will be complete.

While going to meet up with the rest of the scouts, Hange orders Eren's squad to take up positions along the top of the Wall after observing a signal flare fired by Erwin. While waiting, Eren observes the Corps soldiers inspecting the side of the Wall and begins to wonder if Armin discovered where Reiner and Bertholdt are hiding. He is shocked to see Reiner emerge from the inside of the Wall and kill a scout before being attacked by Levi. As Reiner transforms into his Titan form, Eren is surprised again by the sudden appearance of an army of Titans on the outskirts of Shiganshina, with the Beast Titan leading them.[51] As the Titan army approaches, Eren asks why Erwin has not ordered the scouts to attack, and Hange explains that he is likely observing the enemy's movements before attacking.

Eren strikes the Armored Titan

On Erwin's orders, Eren descends into Shiganshina, where he changes into his Titan form and acts as bait to draw Reiner's attention. After leading Reiner away from Wall Maria, Eren begins to engage him, using his new hardening abilities to cover his fists in armor. As they fight, Eren grows progressively angrier, and finally, as he declares that he will retake his home, lands a solid punch to the side of Reiner's head, shattering his armor.

Although he initially has the upper hand against Reiner, Eren is momentarily overpowered, and pinned to the ground. However, he manages to regain control of the fight and throw Reiner off of him, and into an area where Hange's squad can attack. As Eren watches, Hange's squad blinds Reiner with their Thunder Spears before blowing open his Titan form's nape and apparently killing him.[52] Believing Reiner to be dead, Eren is shocked to see Reiner's Titan form begin roaring.

Eren grabs the Colossal Titan's leg

After being informed that Bertholdt is approaching, Hange orders Eren and his comrades to retreat from Reiner's immediate vicinity to avoid the blast from Bertholdt's transformation into the Colossal Titan. After Bertholdt chooses not to transform in order to check on Reiner, Eren stays with his squad while Armin tries to negotiate with Bertholdt. After negotiations fail, and Bertholdt transforms into his Titan form, Eren uses his Titan form to shield his comrades from the blast triggered by the transformation.[53] As Bertholdt begins to rampage through Shiganshina, throwing buildings through the air, Eren becomes enraged at the sight of his hometown being further desecrated. After Armin gives control of the squad to Jean, Eren begins to retreat from Bertholdt's position on Jean's orders, using a nearby building to keep himself hidden.

After escaping Bertholdt's immediate vicinity, Eren attempts to draw his attention away from Wall Maria, and the Scout Regiment's remaining soldiers. However, when Bertholdt chooses to ignore him, Eren and his comrades are left with no choice but to engage him. As his comrades flank Bertholdt, Eren grabs one of Bertholdt's legs and attempts to push him back. For a moment, it looks as though Eren has halted Bertholdt's advance, but it is quickly revealed that Eren has no control over Bertholdt, who calmly kicks Eren into the side of Wall Maria, leaving him incapacitated.[54]

Alternate reality

In the year 844, Eren accompanies his father, Dr. Jaeger, to the Ackermanns during a medical visit. He is introduced to Mikasa and the two begin wandering the forest nearby. Eren tells Mikasa that he heard her mother is pregnant, to which she confirms and says her mother believes it to be a boy. Eren remarks that if the child is a boy, he hopes that he will become a soldier. He reveals to Mikasa his dream of joining the Scout Regiment and exploring the outside world.

Suddenly, the two hear howling in the distance. Mikasa becomes worried, saying that her father does not want her going deep into the forest, but Eren runs ahead on his own to investigate, prompting Mikasa to follow him. The two come across the ruins of a campsite overrun by rabid dogs that have killed a trio of travelers. The dogs spot Eren and Mikasa, then slowly approach them, but suddenly turn their tracks and leave. The two return home and inform their parents of the location of the corpses they saw.

Eren describes the ocean to Mikasa

Over the course of Dr. Jaeger's visits, Eren continues playing with Mikasa and the two quickly become friends. He tells her of his friend, Armin, who is intelligent and reads a lot of books, and is also the one who told him about the outside world. Eren mentions that they will one day explore the outside world together. During the next visit, he arrives with many injuries to his face. Eren talks to Mikasa about the outside world and describes the ocean as being a large amount of salt water that is big enough to the point merchants could never sell all of its salt.

He continues that the outside world also has fiery water, lands of ice, and land all covered in sand. Mentioning that the people who fought him are cowards who are content with living ignorant within the Walls, Eren reiterates his dream of joining the Scout Regiment to see the outside world.

When Mikasa is sent to Shiganshina District, Eren meets her upon arriving. Hearing the bell that signals the return of the Scout Regiment from an exterior scouting mission, Eren eagerly heads to see the Scouts, which return in shambles.

Eren is beaten by the man

In front of them, two civilians comment on the scene, saying their taxes are being wasted on feeding the Titans. Eren strikes one of them in anger, and the man takes Eren into a nearby alley. The man begins to mercilessly beat Eren as Mikasa watches in shock. That night, Eren is taken to his home and his wounds are treated.

Eren stops going to Mikasa's house for sometime, and when the Ackermanns move into Shiganshina to be closer to Dr. Jaeger, Mikasa questions Eren on why he stopped visiting her. Eren tells her that the Scout Regiment has been disbanded for the lack of results, and the gate leading to the outside of the Wall has been sealed off.

Mikasa is relieved that Eren will not be able to leave the Walls, but he adds that he will be leaving with Armin using a hot air balloon they were building, and it is why he could not visit her. Mikasa asks Eren to take her with him, and he responds by wrapping his scarf around her and mentioning a path to a nearby forest, telling her that she can return it to him there in three days. At the time of their leaving, the balloon fails to gain enough altitude and Eren pushes Armin to safety, before it crashed into the Wall.[50]

Abilities

Martial arts

Originally, Eren's only noteworthy trait was his natural physical strength, which stemmed from having to defend his friend Armin from bullies who were bigger and stronger. As he grew and joined the 104th squad, he trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat.[23] While hand-to-hand fighting would appear useless due to the massive physical differences between humans and Titans, these skills gave Eren a powerful edge when fighting other Titans in his own Titan form.[3]

Omni-directional mobility gear

Eren's proficiency with ODM gear

At first, it is shown that Eren is not very skilled with the ODM gear. During the initial balancing tests, he kept tripping and smacking his head on the floor. People mocked him for this. Eren pleaded for help from everyone but the only advice they could give Eren was that he needed to clear his mind and focus. On his last attempt, Eren did just that and stayed upright for a short period of time before tipping over and hitting his head. Seeing this, the commandant, Keith Sadies told Thomas Wagner to swap equipment with Eren and for Eren to try again. Eren did so and balanced with ease. The commandant then told Eren that his equipment was damaged and that it was a miracle that he managed to stay upright at all.[23] He is not shown using the equipment much but was able to hold his own against the Colossal Titan for a short period of time until the Titan disappeared.[1]

During the first Battle of Trost, Eren was swallowed whole by a Titan, and inside the stomach-like cavity saw other fellow recruits lying dead/dying, one wanting her mother before sinking in stomach acid. This sight combined with intense feelings of desperation and his drive to exterminate all Titans awoke his ability to transform into a Titan. In this form, he is a 15 meter tall Titan, with shoulder-length black hair, pointed ears, a long nose, and a gaping, skeleton-like maw lacking lips. Unlike most other Titans, Eren's Titan form is considerably more muscular and defined; making him much stronger than even similar-sized Titans while his intelligence and military training, allow him to out-maneuver and dispatch entire groups of Titans with ease. A transformation takes a heavy toll on Eren’s body and requires large amounts of stamina. As a result, he has displayed several symptoms when he over-exerts himself such as a nosebleed, pale skin, and labored breathing. In some cases, Eren is rendered unconscious for a short period of time after a Titan transformation.

Initially, Eren has no control over his actions when he first transforms into a Titan and is unable to remember any actions that occurred during the first Battle of Trost. He is in a “dream-like state” and fails to remember how to transform in the first place. However, Eren recalls fragmented memories of his father by seeing the key to the basement of his old home and is able to successfully transform to protect Armin and Mikasa from certain death. It has been shown that with more transformations, Eren retains more of is intelligence being able to form rational thoughts. At the beginning, during the second Battle of Trost, Eren in his Titan form attacks Mikasa but ultimately plugs the hole in Trost's gate after Armin forces him to wake up. His Titan form, combined with his growing experience and his hand-to-hand combat skills, allowed him to kill over 20 Titans in his first transformation.[24]

Eren, like all others with the power of the Titans, must physically harm himself in order to transform into his Titan form. However, lack of a determined goal and resolution for it inhibit his ability to transform as shown when he cannot transform at first to confront Annie Leonhart. Within Titan transformations, he has displayed the ability to partially transform, as shown when he protected Mikasa and Armin from a cannonball by forming the upper torso skeleton, complete with arms and a skull with some muscle tissue. From his suppressed memories, Eren believes that the full truth of his Titan powers, as well as a way to defeat the Titans once and for all, is located in the basement beneath the ruins of his family home.

Regeneration: Eren’s Titan form has demonstrated the ability to automatically heal any injury sustained in battle and also to regenerate entire limbs. Unlike Annie Leonhart, Eren has not shown the advanced ability to focus regeneration to one wounded area of his Titan form. His healing factor was fast enough to heal an entire lost hand in mere seconds to an entire arm in minutes. This ability is useful to Eren as, when he fights, he often loses entire limbs in his Titan form. While in his human state, Eren can also regenerate entire lost limbs, as seen after he lost his arm and leg to a Titan, he regrew them.

Enhanced Strength: As a result of Eren’s Titan form being much more muscular than other Titans, he is much stronger in terms of physical strength. During his first transformation, Eren was able to decapitate a 15m Titan with a single punch and kill a 7m Titan with little effort. With both arms lost, he was also strong enough to bite into the neck of a large, abnormal Titan that ate Thomas and lift it up above his head. With enough force, Eren was able to throw the abnormal into another Titan hard enough to knock them both into a building.[3] Against the Female Titan in the Titan Forest, Eren’s Titan form had enough physical force to leave large craters in the ground, as well as lift the Female Titan into the air with a punch. Ultimately, Eren’s greatest display of strength was when he lifted a giant boulder, albeit with difficulty, carry it across a large distance, and slam it down to seal the hole in Trost's gate, producing a large shock wave.

Enhanced Endurance: Perhaps Eren's most notable trait of all is his ability to maintain levels of activity for an extended period of time. Eren’s first transformation carried on long enough to incapacitate 20 Titans in total. In battle, even after receiving massive amounts of damage from the Female Titan, Eren can carry on fighting, despite the handicaps that he suffers. He was also able to fight against the Armored Titan for a period of time and gain the upper hand. Eren’s endurance in his Titan form was enough to allow him to sustain the effort of hoisting a huge rock on his back, carry it over a large distance, and seal the hole in Trost's gate shortly before collapsing.

Eren hardening his fists

Hardening: After drinking a bottle labeled "Armor" from Rod Reiss's bag, Eren's Titan form gained ​​​​​​​the ability to harden its body, as well as create a web of pillars that appear to originate from his Titan body. The hardened pillars are incredibly durable, capable of preventing a cave-in, as well as shielding Squad Levi from the heat of Rod Reiss's Titan form. The constructs, as well as Eren's Titan, also retain their durability and hardened state even after he has been separated from his Titan body. After two months of training with Hange Zoë, Eren is able to seal a cave with his hardening powers and reinforce the hole the Colossal Titan left in Trost and Shiganshina. However, constant use of this power can overwhelm Eren and make him weak. By focusing his hardening in one place, it gets even stronger. Focusing in his fists gives Eren a hardened punch, capable of easily breaking the Armored Titan's armor.[8][52]

The Founding TItan's power

Founding Titan: Named the "Coordinate" by Bertholdt Hoover and Reiner Braun, the Founding Titan has the power to control Pure Titans by screaming.[16] Eren demonstrated this ability by punching the Smiling Titan. Somehow, this commanded the Titans nearby to consume the Smiling Titan as well as to send the Titans after Reiner and Bertholdt. This ability was sought after by the group of Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, and Marcel for unknown reasons.

Relationships

Mikasa Ackermann - Eren has a complex relationship with his adoptive sister. He often displays a brusque, casual attitude with her which belies their deep bond and care for each other. While Mikasa is more open with showing concern for him, Eren only does so when she is injured or in distress. Despite his blunt exterior he is always looking out for her and will not hesitate to comfort or reassure her when he senses that she needs him to; He would even go as far as to call himself a monster to ensure that she would not be targeted by the military court prosecution.[24] Like typical siblings they do not always agree, but Eren will usually not stop Mikasa from doing what she wants so long as it is within reason. He also seems to harbor somewhat of an inferiority complex towards her due to her outranking him in both strength and battle skill. This is further affirmed by her desire to constantly keep tabs on him and keep him out of trouble - a habit he generally viewed as annoying. At times he feels so stifled by her protectiveness that he openly lashes out at her, telling her not treat him like her "little brother." When they meet the Smiling Titan again and Eren is in despair he listens to Mikasa who thanks him for all that he has done for her, showing her gratitude and their close bond.[16]

Armin Arlelt - Armin is Eren's closest friend, who inspired him to dream of the world beyond the Walls (and in doing so, became partially responsible for motivating him to join the Scout Regiment). During their childhood, they were snubbed by other children as well as adults for their "heretical" ideas. Armin himself is frequently targeted by bullies, whom Eren (sometimes with Mikasa in tow) would constantly try to fend off. This pattern would continue into their teenage years, with Eren leaping into action to save Armin from danger, not caring if he himself is harmed in the process; the most memorable occasion being the day Eren snatched Armin from a Titan's jaws and got swallowed in his place. Despite Armin considering himself as burdensome, Eren greatly appreciates his quick-wittiness and brilliant judgment (it also did not miss him that Armin's quick thinking had saved his and Mikasa's lives in 845). Eren's confidence in Armin is so great that he would entrust him with his life with no hesitation if asked to do so.

Jean Kirschtein - As Eren's main rival, his temperament is the very antithesis of Eren's. Where Eren is hotheaded, he is collected; and Jean is pessimistically pragmatic as Eren is idealistic. Jean believed anyone who wished to join the Scout Regiment was a suicidal fool, while Eren regarded those who looked down on the people who wanted to fight the Titans with contempt. Initially, they were able to resolve their differences in a civil manner despite starting off on the wrong foot. However, this friendliness was short-lived, as Jean became jealous when he saw how familiar Eren was with Mikasa. A fierce rivalry soon budded between them, with the two constantly provoking each other and getting into fistfights. In addition to insulting Jean to his face, Eren also seems to be fond of saying Jean has a "horse-face" behind his back. In the wake of the Battle of Trost however, Eren and Jean seem to have set their differences aside and stopped antagonizing each other. Though they still quarrel as much as before, their animosity has noticeably lessened.

Levi Ackermann - As humanity's most formidable soldier and Eren's superior officer, Levi commands great respect and admiration from him. Eren bore no grudge against Levi for brutally beating him before the entire court during his trial, recognizing that it had been a necessary measure to secure his life (though he did still flinch the next time Levi sat down next to him and becomes very stressed in situations that could result in physical punishment).[24] Aware of the vast gap in experience between them, Eren strives to learn as much as he can from Levi, heeding his advice with little hesitation and trusting his judgment. During the thirty days he shared living space with Levi's squad, he also seems to have learned the standard of cleanliness Levi demands very well.[42]

Annie Leonhart - Eren greatly admired Annie, and was trained in her unique fighting style during their years as cadets. He considered her to be a kind person beneath her cold exterior and credited her with making him aware of the contradictions within the military system. However, he was eventually horrified to learn of her identity as the Female Titan. Even as Annie herself transformed in front of him, a part of Eren refused to accept her betrayal; and he became so conflicted that he was initially unable to summon the will to fight her (Mikasa even went so far as to suggest that his hesitation was due to him harboring "special feelings" for her).[34] Even as he went toe-to-toe with Annie, he continued to brood over what had driven her to slaughter their comrades.[35]

Reiner Braun - Eren once described Reiner as being like an older brother to him, and admired him as a "strong, capable guy." The two were shown to have trained together, and Reiner taught him the importance of the duty soldiers have to protect the weak. It can be said that he was the one Eren looked up to the most in his career as a soldier. However, once he and Bertholdt Hoover revealed their identities as the Armored and Colossal Titans, the friendship they had was destroyed.[36][37]

Conny Springer - As members of the same cadet squad, Eren and Conny shared many experiences together and get on well with each other. In the early days of their training, Conny was among the cadets who eagerly questioned Eren about the Titans' invasion in 845. Though he only enlisted in order to have a good reputation in his home village and initially wished to join the Military Police Brigade, Conny was so moved by Eren's passionate conviction to defeat the Titans that in the end, he decided to join the Scout Regiment instead.

Hange Zoë - When Eren first met Hange, he was put off by her obsession with him, finding it creepy. After learning about her work on Sawney and Beane, however, and her reason for being so obsessed with Titans and change (which he could relate to), he became one of the first people to be interested in Hange's work and was saddened by the deaths of the Titan test subjects (although he still finds her weird, especially after she kept him up the entirety of one night).

Grisha Jaeger - Much like his late wife, Grisha was shown to be a very caring parent towards Eren, greatly concerned with his personal development and general well-being. He understood his son's nature very well, and though he would reprimand Eren when he stepped out of line, he was more likely to simply listen to and guide him. Eren seemed to appreciate Grisha for this, and as a result was greatly frustrated and saddened by his sudden disappearance after Wall Maria fell. Upon remembering the mission his father left him before he vanished, Eren expressed anger and bitterness at the fact that Grisha had kept secrets from them, on top of abandoning himself and Mikasa. He also seems to hold to the belief that his father is still alive, at times pondering over his whereabouts and what he had been doing since the fall of Wall Maria.

Carla Jaeger - Carla cared for her son deeply and seemed to want the best for him. Not surprisingly, she was against the idea of Eren enlisting in the Scout Regiment when he got older, as many people died outside the Walls. Though Eren never listened to her warnings or advice and insisted on pursuing his dream, he loved her very much. During the fall of Shiganshina, he struggled in vain to rescue her from the rubble of their demolished home despite being surrounded by Titans and wanting to run away from the danger. Unfortunately, he was ultimately forced to watch a Titan devour her as he was hauled to safety.[17] Her brutal demise and his own powerlessness to prevent it severely traumatized Eren. In his grief, he expressed remorse for continuing to disobey and argue with her in their last moments together, and her loss fueled his virulent hatred of all Titans.[19]

Hannes - Prior to the fall of Wall Maria, Eren was constantly frustrated by Hannes being a habitual drunkard in the line of duty. Despite not having saved Carla from the hands of the Titan, Eren bore no ill will towards him, and instead, he looked up to him with respect and understanding. After Hannes was eaten by the Smiling Titan, Eren became enraged, showing that he had a deep friendship with him.[16]

Marco Bodt - Eren had great respect for him, and recognized his tendency to think of the group before himself. He also stated he would have liked to be on his squad, and considered him a good leader. Upon learning of Marco's death, Eren was initially in a state of disbelief and was visibly stricken when Jean reaffirmed that the news was true.[32]

Petra Rall - Among the members of the squad assigned to protect Eren, Petra seemed to be the one closest to him. She was among the least eccentric and most friendly of the members, and Eren admired her not only for her skill but for her open acceptance of him as a comrade as well. Witnessing her demise at the hands of the Female Titan was a devastating blow to him, and he remains remorseful of making the decision that led to her death.

Oruo Bozad - Of all the members of Levi's squad, Oruo gave Eren the toughest time, often badmouthing and blustering at him. Despite his senior's somewhat obnoxious and boastful demeanor, Eren still respected Oruo as a top-tier soldier. His violent death was perhaps the trigger event that caused Eren to finally transform to his Titan form to stop the Female Titan in its tracks. Along with the other member's of Levi's special squad, his death still haunts Eren.

Eld Gin and Gunther Schultz - Eren admired the two soldiers; both in their skills, serious attitude and devotion to humanity by facing the Titans. Their deaths partly fueled Eren's rampage against the Female Titan, and he is still filled with regret over not choosing to fight while they were still alive.

The name Eren is of Cultural Ethnic Turkish origin. Its exact meaning and description is "He who progresses/has reached towards divine maturity and sacred wisdom". It can also be interpreted as a "saint" or "holy person." "Eren" could also stand for the German word "Ehre" (plural "Ehren"), which means honor.

Eren's surname, Jaeger, is common among German-American migrants.

Eren Jaeger sounds similar to the German word "Ehrenjäger," which means "titular hunter."

The name Eren is a Turkish name that means "saint, holy man".

According to Armin Arlelt, the 104th Cadet Corps nicknamed him the "Suicidal Bastard" (死に急ぎ野郎Shi ni isogi yarō?, lit. the bastard who is in a hurry to die).

When speaking about Titans, Eren has a habit of using -hiki (the counter suffix for small animals) instead of -tai (the counter for large animals),signifying his deep contempt for them.

He has the highest Titan kill record by far of all the former graduates of the 104th Cadet Corps, though he has killed only one Titan in human form with his ODM abilities, and the rest have been killed using his Titan abilities. In human form, the most kills belong to Mikasa.

According to Isayama, if the 104th Cadet Corps had an arm wrestling competition, Eren would be evenly matched with Jean Kirschtein.[57]

Hajime Isayama stated in an interview that he based Eren's Titan form off of the Japanese martial artist Yūshin Okami, paraphrasing it to be the "ideal physique of a middleweight mixed martial artist."[58]

Whilst lifting the giant boulder in his Titan form to block the breach in Wall Rose, Eren bore a striking resemblance to the Ancient Greek Titan Atlas, who supported the celestial sphere on his shoulders.

An interview with Isayama's editor in Otomedia's October 2013 issue revealed Isayama originally intended for Eren to have known all along that he was a Titan, but scratched the idea.

It had been stated by Carla in the anime that Eren's ears blush when he is lying.

In the anime adaptation, there are few instances of foreshadowing Eren's Titan ability before it is fully revealed.

Soon after Wall Maria falls, Eren dreams of his father injecting him with a mysterious serum.

When Eren fails basic balance training due to faulty equipment, he cracks his head against the ground. The steam that rises from his head is actually his unconscious ability to regenerate rather than embarrassment (and unlike the manga, his injuries fully heal by the very next day).

In the anime, Eren's Titan form has nictitating membranes (a third eyelid possessed by predatory species such as sharks, birds of prey, and reptiles); it can be observed blinking them several times in episode 8. it is unknown whether it possesses this trait in the manga.

In the game Age of Gunslingers Online, a special Titan Mode was made as a tribute to the series. It features Eln, an NPC modeled after Eren and voiced by Yūki Kaji. A trailer of this mode can be viewed here. There is also a special skin for the Dual Pistol class available for purchase.

Eren is one of the Attack on Titan characters that were made into Nendoroid figures, along with Mikasa, Levi, Armin, and the Colossal Titan.

Eren ranked first in the Akiba Souken Shingeki no Kyojin online character popularity poll.[59]

Eren is one of eight characters to have his own song. The others being Mikasa, Armin, Levi, Erwin, Jean, Reiner and Bertholdt. Eren's song is Helpless World.

↑Attack on Titan anime: Episode 9 — Eren kills the Titan that ate him by transforming into a Titan inside its stomach and emerging from it. Another smaller Titan approaches and Eren kills it with a punch.

↑Attack on Titan anime: Episode 8 — Of the Titans seen surrounding the building, 13 are too large to come inside, meaning they were killed by Eren and not by the other squad members. Two Titans are killed by Eren. Eren throws a large Titan, killing two smaller ones. The large one is not counted since it is unknown if it was one of the 13 counted before. Eren kills the Titan that ate Thomas, then launches its corpse to another Titan and kills it too.